RAMADAN: HISBAH ARRESTS MANY FOR EATING, APPREHENDS 'KEKE' DRIVERS FOR MIXING MALE AND FEMALE PASSENGERS

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RAMADAN: HISBAH ARRESTS MANY FOR EATING, APPREHENDS ‘KEKE’ DRIVERS FOR MIXING MALE AND FEMALE PASSENGERS

Several young men have been arrested in Kano for allegedly failing to observe the Ramadan: Hisbah Board Arrests 20 Persons In Kano For Eating In Public fast.

The arrests were carried out by operatives of Hisbah Board, the state’s Islamic morality police.

According to officials, the individuals were accused of not fasting on the first day of Ramadan, which began on March 1, 2025.

Speaking to journalists, the Board’s Deputy Commander General, Dr. Mujahideen Abubakar, confirmed the arrests and reiterated the agency’s commitment to enforcing Sharia law throughout the Ramadan period.

In a separate operation, the board reportedly arrested around 60 individuals for having what it described as “indecent haircuts,” citing violations of Islamic law and local cultural norms.

Additionally, commercial tricycle (Keke Napep) riders were apprehended for allegedly mixing male and female passengers in their vehicles—an act the board has vowed to prohibit.

In March 2024, the Kano State Hisbah Board’s Department of Public Enlightenment arrested at least 11 Muslims for eating during the Ramadan fast.

Hisbah spokesman Lawal Fagge confirmed the arrests to the BBC, stating that the individuals included 10 men and one woman.

According to Fagge, they were released after swearing an oath not to intentionally skip fasting again.

“We got 11 persons on Tuesday including a lady selling groundnuts who was seen eating from her wares and some persons alerted us,” Hisbah spokesman, Lawal Fagge, told the BBC.

“The other 10 were men and were arrested across the city especially close to markets where a lot of activities happen.”

He added that the search operations would continue but said that non-Muslims were exempt.

“We don’t arrest non-Muslims because this doesn’t concern them and the only time they could be guilty of a crime is when we find out they cook food to sell to Muslims that are supposed to be fasting,” he said.